Seven Sister States In India

India is a country in South Asia. India is the seventh largest country by geographical area, and the second most populous country in the world. It borders Pakistan to the west, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north and Bangladesh and Burma to the east. India is home to two major linguistic families: Indo-Aryan (spoken by about 74% of the population) and Dravidian (spoken by about 24%). Other languages spoken in India come from the Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Burman linguistic families.

A large number of the inhabitants who speak Tibeto-Burman languages, lived at North East India. Hinduism and Christianity are the predominate religions in this region. This region had a population of 38.6 million in 2000. North-East India has a predominantly humid sub-tropical climate with hot, humid summers, severe monsoons and mild winters. This region consist of seven states (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura). The reference Seven Sisters is symbolic of their relative isolation from mainstream Indian culture and consciousness.

Arunachal Pradesh is the eastern most state of India, with its capital at Itanagar. In Sanskrit, "Arunachal Pradesh" means "land of the dawn lit mountains". Much of Arunachal Pradesh is covered by the Himalayas. The climate of Arunachal Pradesh differs with the elevation. Alpine or Tundra climate in Upper Himalaya, while Areas at the sub-Himalayan and sea-level elevation generally experience a humid sub-tropical climate, along with the hot summers and mild winters. Most of the Arunachalis are either of Tibeto-Burman. Another 35% of the population are made up of the immigrants, including 31,000 Bengali, Bodo, Hajong and Chakma expartriates from Bangladesh, and immigrants from neighbouring Assam, Nagaland and other parts of India. According to census data by Government of India shows that 20% of Arunachal's population are animist. 35% are Hindus. 13% are Buddhis, and Around 19% of the population are followers of the Christian faith.

Assam is a northeastern state of India. The largest city at Assam is Guwahati. Assam currently is almost equivalent to the size of Ireland or Austria. Assam is known for Assam tea, petroleum resources, Assam silk and for its rich biodiversity. Assam is also endowed with petroleum, natural gas, coal, limestone and other minor minerals such as magnetic quartzite, kaolin, sillimanites, clay and feldspar. The climate of this region is characterised by heavy monsoon downpours reducing summer temperature and foggy nights and mornings in winter. In 2001, Total population of Assam was 26.66 million. Assam has many ethnic groups. 64,9% Assam's population are Hindus, 30,9% are Muslim, 3,7% are Christian.

While, Meghalaya is a small state in north-eastern India. In Sanskrit, "Meghalaya" literally means "The Abode of Clouds". The state is bounded on the north by Assam and by Bangladesh on the south. The capital is Shillong. The forests of Meghalaya are notable for their biodiversity of mammals, birds, and plants. State of Meghalaya consist of archean rock formations. These rock formations contain rich deposits of valuable minerals like coal, limestone, uranium, sillimanite etc. The climate of Meghalaya is moderate but humid. Meghalaya is the wettest state of India (With average annual rainfall as high as 1200 cm in some areas). Tribal peoples make up the majority of Meghalaya's population. The largest group are The Khasis, then followed by the Garos. 70.3% of the population practicing Christianity, 13,3% practicing Hinduism, 11.5% of the population follow an ancient Animist philosophy and 4,3% are Muslim.

Manipur is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland in the north, Mizoram in the south and Assam in the west; it also borders the country of Myanmar to the east. The state capital of Manipur is Imphal. The total area covered by the state is 22,327 sq. km. The people of Manipur follows several faiths and religions, such as Hinduism, Christian and Islam.

Mizoram shares land borders with the states of Tripura, Assam and Manipur and the Chin state of Myanmar. The largest city at Mizoram is Aizawl. Mizoram has the most variegated hilly terrain in the eastern part of India. The hills are steep (avg. height 1000 metres) and separated by rivers. The biggest river in Mizoram is the River Kaladan. Mizoram has a mild climate, not very warm in summer and not very cold in winter. The great majority of Mizoram's population is comprised of several ethnic tribes who are either culturally or linguistically linked. The ethnic group are collectively known as the Mizos. Some 87% of the population (including all ethnic Mizos) is Christian. Then, 3,6% population practicing Hinduism, and 1,1% practicing Islam. In recent decades, a number of Southeast Asian-looking people from Mizoram, Assam, and Manipur have claimed themselves as Jews. This people is known as Bnei Manashe. The Jewish population of the Bnei Menashe currently is estimated at 9,000 people.

Nagaland, is a hill state located in the far north-eastern part of India. Nagaland is one of the smallest state in India. The state capital is Kohima, while the largest city is Dimapur. This state is bounded by the state of Assam in the west, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam in the north, Myanmar in the east and Manipur in the south. Nagaland is rich in flora and fauna. About one-sixth of Nagaland is under the cover of tropical and sub-tropical evergreen forests - including palms, bamboo and rattan as well as timber and mahogany forests. Nagaland has a largely monsoon climate with high humidity levels. In winter, temperatures don't generally drop below 39 degrees Fahrenheit, but frost is common at high elevations. Nagaland's people speak 60 different dialects belonging to the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. Christianity is the predominant religion of Nagaland (90% of the population). Nagaland is also known as "The most populated Baptist state in the world" (75% of the population). Hinduism and Islam are minority religions in state, at 7.7% and 1.8% of the population respectively.

The last state is Tripura. Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on the north, south and west. The Indian states of Assam and Mizoram lie to the east. The largest city at Tripura is Agartala. Tripura is a landlocked hilly state in northeastern India with altitudes varying from 50 to 3080 ft above sea level. Although landlocked, Tripura has many rivers including the Manu River. Tripura has a tropical climate and receives rainfall during the monsoons. Tripura is the second most populous state in North-East India, after Assam. Total population of Tripura is 3,191,168. Bengalis represent almost 70% of Tripura's population and the native tribal populations represent 30% of Tripura's population. Hinduism is the majority religion in the state, with 85.6% of the population following the religion. Muslims make up 8.0% of the population, Christians 3.2%, and Buddhists 3.1%.